The present invention concerns a fusegate for a water structure such as a river sill or a spillway on a dam or protective dyke, comprising a structure forming a watertight or substantially watertight wall, installed on the said water structure and held on top by gravity, and able to retract so as to allow water to pass without obstruction, the said structure being dimensioned in terms of weight and size so as to be driven away by the water when the latter has reached a predefined level.
Fusegates of this type are well known and are normally installed on the top of a sill disposed across a reservoir with a view to raising the level of water in the reservoir upstream of the said sill. Installed on the sill of a dam they make it possible to raise the retaining level of the dam or to improve the security of the said dam in the face of floods. They can also be installed on the sill of the spillway of a dyke bordering a river and be intended to protect the adjoining regions against floods, the spillway being in this case installed on the dyke at a location chosen so that, in the event of floods, the water pours into a temporary storage reservoir or onto land chosen without danger for other regions adjoining the river.
Fusegates can be of the non-overflowing or of the overflowing type, namely, in the latter case, they can allow a certain quantity of water to pass over their top when the level of water upstream of the shutter is greater than the retaining height hRN of the top and as long as the water level does not exceed a predefined height hMAX. In all cases, fusegates must retract if the level of the water upstream of the shutter reaches a predefined level hMAX during a flood, in order to release the volume of water that it retains in the reservoir and thus to prevent the water invading the adjoining regions upstream or damage to the dyke or dam.
Fusegates apply in particular to a levy or dyke or dam constructed from fill or a mixed dyke or dam constructed partly from fill and partly from concrete or masonry. The dyke can be a frontal dyke across a watercourse, or a lateral dyke along a watercourse for protecting the surrounding land against flood. In the case of a dam, it may be a case of any type of dam creating a water reservoir, or a saddle dam associated with the aforementioned dam.
On many water structures of the type indicated, it is known how to create favoured rupture points which, in the case of exceptional events, such as exceptional floods threatening the structure with destruction, yield at predetermined locations on the structure chosen so that the damage caused to the structure itself and/or to the persons or goods flooded by the rupture of the structure are minimal. These rupture points can be formed with the help of fusegates positioned on the top of the part of the dyke, embankment or dam chosen, or other system allowing discharge of the necessary flow rates. Such a shutter comprises at least one solid rigid shutter element placed on the top of the overflow sill and is maintained in place on the latter by gravity, the said shutter element having a predetermined retaining height hRN and being dimensioned in terms of size and weight so that the moment of the forces applied by the water to the shutter element reaches, for a certain predefined level hMAX, the moment of the gravity forces that tend to hold the shutter element in place on the overflowing sill and so that consequently the said shutter element is unbalanced and driven away when the water level upstream of the shutter reaches a predefined level hMAX.
It is clear that, for floods of moderate magnitude, as long as the level of the water does not reach the predefined level hMAX of unbalancing the shutter, which can be determined in practice so as to be equal to or slightly lower than a level of the highest water, the water can be discharged by the valves and other devices sized for the most usual flow rates, without destruction of the shutter resulting from this and subsequently without the spillway ceasing to be closed off by the said shutter. On the other hand, in the case of an exceptional flood, the level of the water reaches the predefined level hMAX of unbalancing the shutter and one or more of the shutter elements are automatically unbalanced and driven away by the water solely under the action of the forces of the water and therefore without external intervention being necessary, thus giving the sill its full discharge capacity again. So as to promote the unbalancing and tilting of the said shutter element or elements at the time when this becomes essential to discharge an exceptional flood, means are provided for generating a pressure, referred to as underpressure in the terminology accepted by hydraulic engineers, in a chamber formed under the shutter element or elements, when the water level reaches the predefined level hMAX of unbalancing the shutter. Such means can advantageously be arranged so that the underpressure applied in the chamber of the shutter element remains zero or very low as long as the water level remains below the predetermined level hMAX, and so that an underpressure with a substantially higher value is abruptly applied to the shutter element at the instant when the water level reaches the said predetermined level, the sizing of the elements being such that, at this instant, the destabilising driving moment becomes greater than the stabilising moment. Such means are formed in particular by a conduit referred to as a well having a bottom end opening out in the said chamber and a top end situated at a level corresponding to the said predefined level.
The systems of the prior art are confronted with the problems of vandalism and attacks by external natural phenomena (floating bodies, waves) resulting in reducing their efficacy or precision. In order to resolve this problem, it is known how to equip the top end of the conduit communicating with a chamber with a device protecting against floating bodies in order to avoid blockage thereof, or with a device for protection against waves so that one or more successive waves do not trigger the tilting of the shutter in an unwanted fashion, by creating a pressure in the chamber whereas the predefined level hMAX is not reached. Thus these devices aim to limit the entry of water into the well when one or more successive waves present themselves and thus the level of water close to the water inlet is situated above the level of the well whereas the average water height in the reservoir or of the watercourse does not reach the predefined tilting level hMAX. Such a device can consist of a funnel, the top edge of which is situated at a higher level than the predefined level as described in the patent applications FR 2 733 260 or EP 0 493 183.
In other spillway devices for discharging floods such as those described in EP 0 435 732, other forms are proposed for this protection device in which the end of the conduit is curved in the form of a siphon or consists of a protective barrel that covers the top end of the pipe and the top of which is situated at a level slightly higher than the predetermined level hMAX. However, it has been possible to remark that such protection devices are not always sufficient. Thus the funnel form, though it offers protection against floating debris, does not offer sufficiently effective protection against waves of a certain magnitude. Because of this, the risk is always incurred of a partial tilting relating to waves rather than to an actual flood.
It has also been noted that the bell shape covering the top end of the conduit does not offer sufficient guarantees vis-à-vis risks of obstruction by floating debris, nor by waves. This is because, for this embodiment, in normal operation, that is to say when the water level is below or equal to the retaining height hRN of the shutter, the water inlet opening of the bell is situated above the water level, so that floating debris may obstruct the water inlet or the well itself and in addition the well remains accessible to any vandals. In addition, having regard to the position of the water inlet opening, the well remains sensitive to waves so that risks of undesired tilting are still incurred. Consequently, the fusegates described above remain subject to the following causes of degraded operation: vandalism, in particular the theft of metal parts, effects relating to high-magnitude waves that may trigger the tilting of the shutter whereas the level is not actually reached, and the blocking of the pressurisation means by debris floating on the surface of the water.
Moreover, the adjustment of the predefined tilting height of the shutters is not very precise. This is because, in some cases, when the water level in the reservoir or watercourse is appreciably greater than the retaining height hRN of the shutter, the water level tends to decrease, by a height Δh, on approaching the shutter, because of the increase in the speed of flow of the water in the channel 14 connecting the water retention to the overflow sill. Thus it is difficult to precisely determine the predefined water level in the reservoir or watercourse for which a shutter would be unbalanced, in particular because of the low sensitivity of the height of water close to the shutter to the variations in general level of the watercourse or reservoir.
The main aim of the invention that is the subject matter of the present application is to propose a shutter overcoming the problems of the prior art mentioned above, where sensitivity to the problems of vandalism and attacks by external natural phenomena is less and the operation of which is optimised, and allowing in particular finer regulation of the tilting height of the shutters. For this purpose, the subject matter of the invention is a fusegate for a water structure comprising:                a solid element comprising a wall with a retaining height hRN;        a chamber formed at the base of the solid element between the solid element and a support surface for the solid element; and        means of pressurising the chamber, enabling the chamber to be filled with water in order to create under the solid element a thrust directed upwards, so as to allow the retraction of the solid element by tilting when the water upstream of the shutter reaches a predefined level hMAX;the shutter being remarkable in that the pressurisation means comprise a structure feeding the chamber provided with two compartments delimited by an internal wall, the two compartments communicating with each other through a passage formed at the top part of the feed structure at a height corresponding substantially to the predefined water level hMAX for the tilting of the shutter, one of the compartments having at least one water inlet opening in the feed structure, disposed at a height h less than the retaining height hRN, and the other compartment communicating with the chamber.        
Thus, the water inlet, that is to say the water inlet opening in the structure, is situated below the top of the shutter. In other words, the fusegate, for a water structure such as a river sill, a spillway on a dam or on a protective dyke, comprises a solid element disposed on the top of the structure and held on top by gravity forming a watertight or substantially watertight wall, installed on the water structure and being able to be retracted so as to allow water to pass without obstruction when the level of the reservoir or watercourse reaches a predefined level, a chamber being formed at the base of the solid element between the latter and the surface that supports it, pressurisation means allowing the filling of the chamber with water to create under the solid element a thrust directed upwards when the water in the reservoir or watercourse reaches the predefined level, characterised in that these pressurisation means consist of a water inlet at a feed structure provided with two compartments delimited by an internal vertical wall, the two compartments being in communication with each other through at least one passage formed at the top part of the water inlet, one of the compartments having one or more openings in its bottom part allowing the entry of water from the reservoir or watercourse into the water inlet while the other compartment communicates with the chamber under the solid element.
Consequently, when the water rises, the water inlet opening in the feed structure is submerged. Thus, highly advantageously, in the case of a rise in the water, the water enters the pressurisation means in a regular fashion from an immersed opening, at the bottom part of the feed structure, so that in this way all the risks of obstruction of the entry of the pressurisation means by debris floating on the surface of the water are avoided since they are situated below the surface.
Moreover, the risks of vandalism such as theft of parts on such shutters are also limited since access to the compartment communicating with the chamber is limited. Thus the difficulty of access to the compartment is increased so that the theft of accessories produced from metal, stainless steel for example, is relatively complicated. The inviolability of the device is therefore improved. Consequently, a fusegate according to the present invention comprises means used for combating vandalism and attacks external to the shutter.
In addition, highly advantageously, the consequences of imprecision due to the effect of waves are reduced since, when these occur, they have no effect on the quantity of water entering the feed structure thus formed, since the water inlet opening in the feed structure is immersed under the level of the top of the shutters, preferably below the level of the trough of the waves. The precision associated with the upstream water height causing the tilting of the shutters is thus greatly improved. Preferably, the water inlet opening in the feed structure is disposed at a height h less than hRN−½L, with L the theoretical maximum wavelength of the waves associated with the water structure. Thus the water inlet opening is situated below the level of the wave troughs, even when the theoretical amplitude of the waves is maximum, so that the influence of the waves on the tilting of the shutter is completely eliminated.
Advantageously, the water inlet opening in the feed structure is disposed close to the bottom portion of the chamber feed structure. Thus the water inlet opening is necessarily situated below the wave trough. According to a preferred embodiment, the water inlet and therefore the feed structure are located on the base of the solid element, above the pressurisation chamber, substantially in the form of a hollow column.
According to another embodiment, the water inlet and the feed structure are provided outside the solid element. The passage between the two compartments of the feed structure is provided between the top part of the feed structure and the top end of the internal vertical wall. According to a first variant embodiment, the feed structure according to the invention comprises a so-called upstream compartment comprising at its base a water inlet facing upstream that thus makes it possible to recover part of the kinetic energy of the current. In other words, the water inlet opening in the feed structure is disposed on the upstream face.
By virtue of the feed structure described above, it is possible to achieve a finer regulation of the water height causing the tilting of the shutters. This is because, first, it was necessary to position the level of the wells of the shutters at staged heights, the separation of which was great so as to compensate for the imprecision in the tilting heights of the adjacent shutters, due in particular to the phenomenon of decrease of the water level approaching the shutter, illustrated in FIG. 9. In particular, it was necessary to stage the tilting levels of several shutters by a height corresponding to the nominal filling required to cause the pressurisation of the shutter, in order to obtain tilting of the shutters in the required order and to prevent simultaneous tilting.
The described feed structure method makes it possible to reduce the nominal filling water height and advantageously makes it possible to reduce the difference in tilting height between the shutters. A finer regulation of the water level in the reservoir upstream is obtained during flood episodes. It is also possible to delay the tilting of the first shutter since the separation in tilting level between the feed structures is reduced.
Moreover, in certain configurations illustrated in FIG. 9, when an adjacent shutter tilts, the water level on the spillway drops because of the increase in the rates of flow over the sill and it is then difficult to produce a well that makes it possible to put the bottom chamber under pressure for higher water levels in the reservoir. A suitable configuration of the shutter feed structure according to the invention with an admission of water on the front face makes it possible to generate a pressure (H) resulting from the static pressure corresponding to the water level on the spillway (he) and the kinetic pressure corresponding to the rate of flow of water over the spillway (v2/2g). The resulting pressure (H) corresponds to the general water level in the reservoir or in the watercourse (H=he+v2/2g).
According to a second variant embodiment the water inlet can be provided on a lateral face of the upstream compartment of the feed structure so that the water intake is independent of the rate of flow. In other words, the immersed water inlet opening in the feed structure is disposed on a lateral face so that the entry of water is independent of the speed of the current. Thus, as seen, the water enters through the bottom of the first compartment and rises in the feed structure as far as the top end of the internal vertical wall and then, once a predetermined level is reached, flows into the second compartment and therefore to the chamber under the solid element. Preferably, the top end of the internal vertical wall is provided with a labyrinth for increasing the water passage flow rate.
The fusegate according to the invention may or may not have a rectilinear top. In one embodiment of the invention, part of the shutter referred to as a beam has bevelled edges and, on the upstream part of the bottom face of the beam, a band is provided that is in abutment on a secondary fixing cast in a groove provided on a pedestal. According to one embodiment, the internal wall of the feed structure defines two compartments, the compartment in which the water enters through an immersed opening surrounding the compartment communicating with the chamber.